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<title>practice rooms; or, pray to beethoven you don't fuck up by birlcholtz (justwhatialwayswanted)</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22725454">practice rooms; or, pray to beethoven you don't fuck up</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/justwhatialwayswanted/pseuds/birlcholtz'>birlcholtz (justwhatialwayswanted)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Check Please! (Webcomic)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - No Hockey, Gen, Music, Pianist Ransom, Piano, ransom and a healthier relationship to perfection? it's more likely than u think</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 16:26:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>525</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22725454</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/justwhatialwayswanted/pseuds/birlcholtz</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Justin likes going to the practice rooms in the morning.</p><p>Nobody else has remembered that they need to practice their music yet, or they've remembered but they're putting it off until later, in the afternoon and the evening when every other room is occupied. But it doesn't take long before his secret refuge of early-morning practicing is invaded.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>practice rooms; or, pray to beethoven you don't fuck up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Justin likes going to the practice rooms in the morning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nobody else has remembered that they need to practice their music yet, or they've remembered but they're putting it off until later, in the afternoon and the evening when every other room is occupied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the mornings, the practice rooms are empty and pretty much silent. The only people down there are him and a big picture of Beethoven, scowling down from his frame next to the elevator. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure, it's a little creepy to be the only person down there, and sometimes Justin hears noises and isn't really sure where they come from, but he's developed a superstitious little routine of greeting Beethoven every time he comes in and hoping that Beethoven will keep away ghosts and/or murderers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That tiny bit of residual fear isn't enough for him to practice when there are other people around, though. Justin avoids that whenever he can, because he hates the idea of other people hearing anything but the flawless finished product he presents at recitals. Because Justin Oluransi, pianist, always plays flawlessly. Always, every time, ever since he was a first-year. He'd established that reputation for himself at his first recital and now kind of hates that he did, because sure, it's normal to play something correctly at a recital, that's what people are trying to do, that's the whole goal. But every missed note in a practice session a week or less before any kind of public performance is... terrifying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it doesn't take long before his secret refuge of early-morning practicing is invaded. When someone else starts practicing in the mornings, Justin is almost ready to bodily throw them out, because he's </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally</span>
  </em>
  <span> found a space where he can make mistakes sometimes and not have them throw him off for the rest of the day. And now there's someone else here, fucking that up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he doesn't do anything about it. The first day, he plays a little quieter, packs up and leaves faster than he normally would have, but he doesn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>need</span>
  </em>
  <span> to do anything about it, because the baritone practicing a hellish mix of Mozart and musical theater is </span>
  <em>
    <span>loud.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Justin would be surprised if they can even hear someone playing piano while they're singing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He still greets Beethoven every time he comes in to practice, because he's hoping this person remains the only one who ever practices at the same time as him. But now it's less about the ghosts. If there were any, they've been thoroughly driven away by the baritone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn't know this person, has never met them, doesn't know any of the singers very well, and he knows that this person probably doesn't know him either. Maybe that's what allows him to try playing pieces a little faster, or try things that are a little more ambitious than he would usually play with another person around. Partially, it's because he has no choice, not if he wants to actually practice properly. But partially it's because Justin is very sure that this mysterious singer could not care less who else is practicing. He wants to be more like that.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank you so much for reading!!</p><p>love, birl</p></blockquote></div></div>
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